?#DearMe YouTube campaign will make you talk sense to your younger self

YouTube recently launched its #DearMe campaign, inviting women speak to their younger selves. What would you say if you had the chance?
Ahead of International Women’s Day (this Sunday, March 8), YouTube encourages women to tweet, blog or film a message to their younger selves. The cause has been taken up, and the results have been amazing and inspirational.

The goal? To inspire and empower young women. YouTube rounded up popular vloggers, such as Lilly Singh, Sherry Shroff, Brittani Louise Taylor, Felicia Day, Shruti Anand and Hannah Hart, to weigh in and share their advice to their younger selves. Their advice ranges from “don’t worry about the way you look so much” to “stop worrying about being normal” to “stop trying too hard to be something you’re not.”

It shows that for many teen girls, there is a lot of self-doubt, a lot of second-guessing and a lot of fear centered on appearance and acceptance. Looking back, I know my teen years were fraught with much of the same. I spent so much time not knowing I was good enough, that I had a lot to offer and that someday I would realize these fears and questions I had would not do anything more than whittle down my self-esteem.

Here are a few samples of what’s coming up on Twitter.

#DearMe Always focus and stay consistent – it will pay off in the end.

What would you tell yourself? That you’re trying to impress the wrong people? That the choices you make now can impact the rest of your life? That you are worth it? That it’s not your fault? That you are amazing, that things will get better, that you will get through the hard times?

Take a moment and browse through the inspiring #DearMe videos, and see if you don’t get a little teary — I did. We’re older, we’re wiser, and while we don’t have all the answers, the perspective we have now may be that boost that a teen needs to get through her day.